Printing machine for marking articles



y 1'5, 1 P. N. BRAUN 2,603,152

' PRINTING MACHINE FOR MARKING ARTICLES Filed Oct. 28, 1948 2 swam-sum 1 I By ?7 IN VTOR.

ATTOR N EYs.

I Jply 15, 1952 BRAUN 2,603,152

PRINTING MACHINE FOR MARKING ARTICLES Filed 001'. 28, 1948 2 Sl-IEETSSHEET 2 I I 5-; E,

ArroR N :Ys

Patented July 15, 1952 1w ram-TING 2,603,152 7 u MACHINE FOR'MARKING ARTICLES 7 Philip Braun, Syracuse, .N. Y.-

" J 1 ;Claim. (01. 10 1-45) This invention relates to printing machines of the class for printing identifying characters on articles to be laundered, or dry cleaned, or on tags-to be'applied "to such articles, and has for its object means by which the platen. on which the tags or the articles are carried is actuated momentarily by power as theplaten approaches the printing line of the machine but isstill short a: the printing'linein order that the force applied to the platen will alwaysrbe-substantially equal and hence, the imprint on the tags or articles uniform. It will be understood. that it=is importantjtha'tthe' imprinting be uniform in order ItOfEWOlQ fading out of the 'in iprint during the .launderingor dry cleaning' cperation.

The inventionconsists in'fthenove'l" features and in the combinations and constructionshereinafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is a fragmentary front elevation of a printing machine embodying this invention.

Figure 2 is an elevation, partlyin section, look- 7 ing to the right in Figure l.

The construction of the printing machine per se forms no parts of this invention.

The numeral I designates type carrying elements or wheels having type 2 on their peripheries, the wheels being movable by hand independently of each other to bring selected type to the printing line. The wheels are mounted in a casing 3 on a horizontal axis.

4 designates a platen which is mounted on a carrier 5 having a forward movement from starting position to carry the platen with the work thereon toward the printing line, and a rearward movement back to starting position. As here shown, the carrier 5 is pivoted at 6 to a sub-frame I mounted in the front portion of the casing 3 at a, point below the plane of the horizontal axis of the printing line, the carrier having handles 8 extending laterally from opposite sides thereof by means of which the carrier is moved forwardly and rearwardly. In printing an identifying character on articles, a portion of the article is held taut over the platen by the operator gripping the article in both hands about the handles 8.

9 designates a ribbon mechanism, this including a ribbon guide 10 arranged to guide a portion of the ribbon across the printing line. The ribbon mechanism is actuated to feed the ribbon during each operation of the platen carrier 5 in any manner, and the ribbon and the ribbon feed mechanism form no part of this invention.

' This invention comprises a motor normallyin effective on the platen-carrier '5, and; means operated' by the movement-of the platen carrier by hand'from. the s'tartingposition tomake the motor momentari-ly eflecti-veon the platen carrieras the platen approaches-but' is short of' the printing line, and also for rendering the motor ineffective on the platen carrier when the 'platen reaches the printing line all so that the-platen is momentarily actuated-by power in order that the imprints made on the articlesor tags bein printed will be uniform The motor here illustrated is an electromagnet i I mounted on a bracket l lin' the bottom of the casing 3 below the platen carrier. The magnet is effective on an armature [3 carried by the platen carrier and normally out of the field of the magnet and movable into the field of the magnet when the platen carrier 5 is actuated forwardly by the operator into a position where it is approaching but still short of the printing line. As shown, the armature I3 is carried by a radial arm [5 of the platen carrier 5, which arm normally extends upwardly and forwardly from the axis of the platen carrier 5. The arm [5 also carries a weight 16 tending to move the carrier 5 forwardly on its pivot about its pivotal shaft 6. The motor or magnet II is normally idle or deenergized, and is controlled in its energization by the manual forward movement of the carrier 5, the control means being a normally open, selfopening switch in the magnet circuit, and being momentarily closed by the forward movement of the platen carrier 5.

H designates the switch having an operating 7 member or push button l8. The switch is mounted in the lower front portion 1 of the casing 3 in position to be operated by the platen carrier 5. It is here shown as operated by an arm is pivoted at 20 to the front portion 1 of the casing and as having its end remote from the pivot pressing on the push button I8. The switch itself is of the type which is self opening. The arm 19 has a laterally extending pin or arm IS arranged in the path of a shoulder 2| on one side of the platen carrier and located to sweep over the upper edge of the arm I! during the forward,

movement of the platen 5 from starting position and engage the upper surface of the pin arm 19 and depress the arm 19 and hence, close the the printing line, the shoulder 2| passing off or clearing the pin l9 about'when the platen car,- rier reaches the printing line and strikes the blow in pressing the article and the ribbon against the type at the printing line. The shoulder 2| is of such shape as wedge shape (Figure 2) that it passes under the pin 19 during the return movement of the carrier 5, and hence does not close the switch"|7.. Y r

Whenthe switch is closed, the armature l3 has been shifted by the carrier into the field of the magnet II and hence, when the switch is closed the magnet is energized and pulls the; armature downwardly, thus applying powerto the platen carrier 5 to strike the printing blow.

23 and 24 designate the service=wires for the magnet and in which the controlswitch-wl'i is connected. By reason 01' the motororim'agnet I I,"

the blow struck by the platen is always ui-nrerm; 1

This blow is not interfered with by the operators hands unless the operator iwilfully and unnaturally tries ;to, interfere with the, actionof the, carrier by. the magnet ll. Incase ofrprinting tags from a; strip,-,.the operator; merelygives 1a flip to thehandle 5 and it is not necessaryto grasp the handles 8. When the operator is gripping the article while, grippin the; handles 8 to hold the articletaut over the platen, he applies very little operating onhold backiorce to the platen a a 1 V I.

WhatIclaimis;-; it or Ina printingmacl ine ofgthe class described which includes a frame, type carrying elements supported by the frame and shiftable to, bring .dlfierent type to a horizontal printing line, a platen on which thelarticleto be printed is carried, a carrier for the platen, comprising a lever pivoted to the frame on a. horizontal axis spaced from and below the level of the printing line and carrying the platen at its upper end, the lever being movable on its pivot to carry the platen toward and from the printing line, an electromagnet located in the lower portion of the frame, the platen carrying lever having an angular arm extending over and normally spaced from the electro-magnet, the magnet having an armature fixed to said arn'nthe spacing of the'arm and the magnet being such that the armature is normally out of the field of the electro-magnet and movab1B'fil1tQ- the field as the platen carrier approaches printing position, a feed circuit for the electro-magnet having a normally open switch therein, and switch closing means carried by the platen; carrier lever and movable during the movement of the platen to printing position to momentarily close the switch.

N. BRAUN.

- e i I me neqspmn The ifollowingreferences are; of record in the file of this patent '1 .Q

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number I Name, f Date 1,695,964. 'fLang; Dec. 18, 1928 1,715,556 Jenner- June 4, 1929 1,522,339 Constable 'Sept. 8, 1931 2,003,787 j 'Lake' June 4, 1935 2,019,301 'Friden 0011.29, 1935 2,023, '13'0 Friden Dec. 3, 1935 2,066,403 Jonsson Jan. 5, 1937 7 2,370,735 Keuper .LMar. 6, 1945 May 17,1949 

